And as if by magic, not long after I went vegan, a taco recipe book, written by Austin vegans, called The Taco Cleanse, came out. Of course I bought it ASAP, and in it I found what ended up being one of my favorite taco recipes–the Wake & Shake Scramble tacos!

In December, when my plant based doctor put me on a low fat diet (for health reasons) with no oil, nuts/seeds, or soy, one of my first thoughts was, but what about my fave tacos?! They don’t have oil, but they’re tofu based, so I decided to adapt them and use mushrooms instead of tofu, and for extra flavor, I marinated them in lime juice, and these amazingly tasty tacos were born!

*Update: I’m no longer eating low fat (I only did for about 3 months), but I still love these tacos!!

I made these with cauliflower as well when I wanted to make them for a friend who doesn’t like mushrooms, and both the mushrooms & cauliflower have a bit of a meaty texture and taste amazing! You can either make this recipe with all mushrooms, all cauliflower, half and half, or do a double batch with both.

I’ve also included a recipe for how I make pico de gallo, but there are endless ways to make it, and feel free to tweak it to your liking or sub your favorite salsa instead (I bet they’d be yummy with mango salsa.) Also I haven’t tried it yet, but these would obviously be delicious with vegan queso as well.

What are your favorite vegan tacos? Let me know in the comments! If you try these, please let me know if you liked them and/or post a photo on Instagram and tag me (@pennysportal)! Also check out The Taco Cleanse for more vegan taco recipes!

16 ounces mushrooms or a head of cauliflower (or you can do half & half)

1 cup nutritional yeast

2-3 Tablespoons lime juice (About 1-1½ limes)

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon paprika

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

Pico de gallo

3 Roma tomatoes

¼ white or yellow onion

½ cup cilantro

1 clove garlic

1 Tbsp lime juice (about ½ lime)

¼ jalapeño (optional)

¼ teaspoon salt & black pepper

For serving

Corn tortillas

Optional: more cilantro, chopped onion

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Rinse mushrooms well, then slice and put in a large bowl. If using cauliflower, rinse and chop off florets into bite sized pieces. Add lime juice and mix so the mushrooms/cauliflower are evenly covered.

In a container with a lid (large enough to fit the mushrooms/cauliflower), add the nutritional yeast and spices. Put the lid on and shake it up.

Add the mushrooms/cauliflower to the container, put the lid on, and shake until the mushrooms/cauliflower are thoroughly covered with the seasoning mix.

Spread the mushrooms/cauliflower out in a single layer on a parchment lined baking sheet, and bake for 25-30 minutes until browned.

While the mushrooms/cauliflower are roasting, chop the tomatoes and onion and add to a bowl. Finely chop the garlic, jalapeño, and cilantro and add to the bowl along with lime juice and salt and pepper and mix everything. Taste and add more lime, cilantro or salt if needed. You can also add more jalapeño for a hotter pico. Put the pico in the fridge to marinate while waiting for the tacos to bake.

When the mushrooms/cauliflower are done, serve on corn tortillas (or tortillas of choice) with pico and extra cilantro and onion if desired.

Notes

You can either use 16 ounces mushrooms, a head of cauliflower florets, or do a mix of 8 ounces mushrooms with ½ a head of cauliflower. Or if you want to make a double batch with 16 ounces mushrooms and a head of cauliflower, put 1 serving of the seasonings in the container, add mushrooms, shake, and repeat with cauliflower.

If you don't have a container big enough for all of the mushrooms/cauliflower, add a handful of mushroom slices/cauliflower florets at a time, shake, take them out and put on the baking sheet, and keep doing that until all are covered in spices.